d. Health & Safety Warnings (indicating operations that could result in personal
injury or loss of life and explaining what will happen if the procedure is not
followed or is followed incorrectly; listed here and at the critical steps in the
procedure),
e. Cautions (indicating activities that could result in equipment damage,
degradation of sample, or possible invalidation of results; listed here and at the
critical steps in the procedure),
f. Interferences (describing any component of the process that may interfere with
the accuracy of the final product),
g. Personnel Qualifications/Responsibilities (denoting the minimal experience the
user should have to complete the task satisfactorily, and citing any applicable
requirements, like certification or “inherently governmental function”),
h. Equipment and Supplies (listing and specifying, where necessary, equipment,
materials, reagents, chemical standards, and biological specimens),
i. Procedure (identifying all pertinent steps, in order, and the materials needed to
accomplish the procedure such as:
• Instrument or Method Calibration and Standardization
• Sample Collection
• Sample Handling and Preservation
• Sample Preparation and Analysis (such as extraction, digestion, analysis,
identification, and counting procedures)
• Troubleshooting
• Data Acquisition, Calculations & Data Reduction Requirements (such as
listing any mathematical steps to be followed)
• Computer Hardware & Software (used to store field sampling records,
manipulate analytical results, and/or report data), and
j. Data and Records Management (e.g., identifying any calculations to be
performed, forms to be used, reports to be written, and data and record storage
information).
4. Quality Control and Quality Assurance Section - QC activities are designed to allow
self-verification of the quality and consistency of the work. Describe the preparation of
appropriate QC procedures (self-checks, such as calibrations, recounting, reidentification)
and QC material (such as blanks - rinsate, trip, field, or method; replicates; splits; spikes;
and performance evaluation samples) that are required to demonstrate successful
performance of the method. Specific criteria for each should be included. Describe the
frequency of required calibration and QC checks and discuss the rationale for decisions.
Describe the limits/criteria for QC data/results and actions required when QC data exceed
EPA QA/G-6 April 2007
9